Item number: A2028

Year: AD 1785-1920

Material: Silver

Size: 14.5 x 13.8 x 3.0 mm

Weight: 4.7 g

Manufactured by: Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is a tenga silver coin minted by the Emirate of Bukhara, a state that existed in Central Asia between AD 1785 and AD 1920.

The condition of the coin is relatively poor, with most of the inscriptions on both the obverse and reverse sides having been heavily worn away. Nevertheless, the minting location “Bukhara Sharif” (The sacred city of Bukhara) can still be discerned on the obverse. In accordance with the numismatic conventions of Bukhara, the upper right corner would typically bear the Hijri year of minting, inscribed in Persian numerals. The reverse side of the coin would have originally borne the name and title of the reigning Emir; however, due to severe erosion, these details are now largely illegible.

In the 19th century, coin minting in Bukhara was still a manual process. Gold coins were known as “Tilla” or “Ashrafi,” while silver coins were called “Tenga.” The metal would first be melted and cast into a cylindrical shape with a diameter not exceeding 20.0 mm. Then, special tools were used to cut the cylindrical piece into circular metal discs of approximately 2.0 mm thickness. These circular metal discs were then placed into two heated dies, and the inscriptions on both sides of the coin were manually stamped to complete the coin-making process.

In AD 1785, the Emirate of Bukhara was established by Turk Manghit tribal leader Shahmurad. Shahmurad overthrew the Astrakhan dynasty, whom claimed descent from Genghis Khan, and took Bukhara as his capital. As he did not belong to the Mongol Golden Family, Shahmurad was unable to proclaim himself as Khan and could only hold the title of Emir.

However, by the mid-19th century, facing the steady expansion of the Russian Empire into Central Asia, the Emirate of Bukhara fell under Russian protection in AD 1873. In AD 1917, amidst the chaos of the October Revolution in Russia, the Emirate briefly regained its independence. However, in AD 1920, confronted with the onslaught of the Soviet Red Army, the last Emir, Mohammed Alim Khan, exiled to neighboring Afghanistan, marking the demise of the Emirate of Bukhara.

物件編號: A2028

年代: 公元 1785-1920 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 14.5 x 13.8 x 3.0 mm

重量: 4.7 g

製造地: 布哈拉，烏茲別克

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚公元1785至1920年間，立國於中亞的布哈拉酋長國鑄造之堅戈銀幣。

錢幣的保存狀況不甚良好，正反兩面的銘文多已磨蝕殆盡。但是仍能從正面辨識出鑄造地點「神聖的布哈拉」(Bukhara Sharif)。按照布哈拉的錢幣風格，右上角還會以波斯數字標示鑄造的回曆年份。錢幣背面則會打印時任埃米爾的名諱和頭銜，但是磨蝕的狀況極為嚴重，難以識別詳細的訊息。

公元19世紀的布拉哈仍是手工造幣。金幣被稱作「提拉」(Tilla)或「阿什拉菲」(Ashrafi)，銀幣則稱作「堅戈」(Tenga)。金屬會先被鎔鑄為一根直徑不超過20mm的圓柱體，後續用特殊工具以平均2mm厚度切割為圓形金屬片。接著將圓形金屬片放入兩個加熱過的模具，以人工壓印硬幣兩面的文字即大功告成。

布哈拉酋長國是公元1785年，出身突厥部落的曼吉特部強人：沙阿·穆拉德罷黜血統能上溯至成吉思汗的阿斯特拉罕王朝後，以布哈拉為首都建國。由於並非出身於蒙古黃金家族，沙阿·穆拉德不得自稱為可汗，僅能擁有埃米爾的頭銜。

不過進入公元19世紀中葉，面對沙俄對中亞地區的步步擴張。先是在公元1873年，布哈拉酋長國淪為沙俄的保護國。公元1917年，利用沙俄十月革命的混亂之際，布哈拉酋長國短暫恢復獨立。但在公元1920年，面對蘇聯紅軍的攻勢，末代埃米爾：穆罕默德·阿利姆汗流亡至鄰國阿富汗，宣告布哈拉酋長國的覆滅。